Enter the Greeks!, with two sympotic epigrams

2020 update: both of these will be in the book, but underwent changes along the way — back in early 2019 I was just starting to feel my way. All the translations in the book are in verse.

Original post follows:

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A few days ago I emailed a proposal to OUP for a new translation of select epigrams from the Greek Anthology for the World's Classics, to complement my selection from Martial. I'm very excited about it and I hope they bite.

One big difference, if neither I nor they see sense, will be that some of the translations are into blank verse. This isn't something I had in mind before; versions just started popping into my head as I worked through the Loeb, making my selection.

Here are a couple from the first, 'sympotic' section of Book 11, my old doctoral stomping-ground. I have no idea if they're any good or not; I'm a complete novice at stuff like this.

11.8

ANON

The myrrh, the garlands — don’t hang those on columns, 

don’t throw that on the pyre: your cash goes nowhere. 

For instance, send them my way: I’m still living. 

You can’t get ashes drunk; you’ll just get mud. 
And corpses aren’t big drinkers anyway.

11.17

NICARCHUS

Stephanus used to beg and market-garden, 

but got his lucky break, and now he’s loaded. 

And right away he’s “Philostephanus” — 

“Stephanus” with four letters on the front. 

Next moment he’ll be “Hippocratippiades”, 

or push the boat out: “Dionysiopeganodorus”. 
But down the market, he’s still Stephanus.